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AquilonIII: Lol true, it's even better when you guess the culprit correctly. XD Hehe hope you like how this chapter turns out. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :D

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Warning: if any parts are difficult to read, feel free to skim. ^_^

Emi walked towards the apartment complex Bertrand had spoke of. He might not be at her apartment. Heck, it'd be weird if he was, but maybe she's there. No, if she were out with him, she wouldn't be. But I could at least get her number from someone right? Ahh, I don't know what I'm doing. It's my best bet though.

She hugged her arms while trudging beside Roro. A chilly wind blew by and she shivered. Ugh, Ryuu. Why aren't you here? I could really use a hug right now…

She wanted to feel someone's warm arms around her. She wanted to lean into someone and hear the words, "It's going to be okay."

She was approaching the park when she saw a young girl standing by the bus stop, pinching her nose with her fingers. There was a group of five guys behind her near the park, smoking and talking loudly. They looked like typical gangsters, with rings, piercings and tattoos decorating their body.

Emi's eyes narrowed. A big no-smoking symbol was plastered on the park entrance sign.

"Hey, are you guys blind or can you just not read?" she said when she'd reached the park, standing between the girl and the group. She pointed at the sign. "It clearly says no smoking is allowed here."

One of the guys flicked the ashes off his cigarette and stepped closer. "Who the hell do you think we are, little girl?"

Emi glared at her. "It doesn't matter who you are, you have to follow the law."

"Really?" He loomed over her, the smoke curling around and stinking up the air. Emi frowned and knocked the cigarette out of his hands, then stamped her foot upon it.

"Really," she said and began walking away.

"You little bitch," he said, grabbing her arm.

Emi jerked away. "Don't touch me." Roro growled.

He smirked. "You're not as tough as you think you are." He reached for her again and she began speed walking. "Get back here!" When she heard his footsteps quicken, she picked up the pace. Soon he was running after her.

Crap crap crap crap crap! Emi sprinted down the sidewalk with Roro right beside her. I clearly did not think before I spoke! But that girl was also clearly annoyed by their presence.

"Get back here!" the guy said. She glanced back and saw the five men were right on her heels.

Crap! Shit! Crap! Is today Emi-makes-a-crap-ton-of-mistakes day? Or is God messing with me again? First the fire, then Kaoru won't talk to me, and now this? What happened to that average luck I got? More like bad luck!

She pushed her legs to move faster, farther. They were nearing the intersection, and she could see the convenience store, bathing the corner of the street in light. She yanked the door open and burst in.

"Help!" she called, rushing towards the counter. "There are guys chasing after me-"

"Where?" the cashier said.

Emi looked behind her. The group hadn't entered. They were lurking outside of the door, glaring at her and muttering to themselves.

Crap. No, wait, this is good. Emi retreated to the back of the store and pulled her phone out, calling Berty. No, I should call the police right? Can I call the police on them?

Bertrand picked up before she could change her mind. "Emi-sama?"

"Berty, there are some guys outside of the convenience store and I'm pretty sure they want to hurt me and please hurry and come I don't know what to do!" she said and gasped for air.

"I'm coming, Emi-sama," he said. "You're at the convenience store on the intersection?"

"Yes," she said, nodding.

"Okay, I'm on my way. I'll call the police as well."

"Eh? Are they really necessary?"

"Yes, just to be safe."

Emi swallowed, taking another glimpse outside. The guys were still discussing and shooting occasional looks at her. "Okay."

"I'll be there soon, Emi-sama. I need to hang up to call the police."

"Okay."

"Be careful," he said before he hung up.

Oh God. Emi wrung her hands and watched the group from behind a shelf.

"Miss," the cashier said.

"Yes?" She peeked her head out from where she hid.

"Should I call the police?" He pointed at the men outside.

"Someone already did," she said. "For me. I-I'm sorry for coming in-"

"It's okay," he said. They watched as a customer walked out. "I don't know what exactly happened, but for five men to be chasing down one girl…"

Emi grimaced. "Yeah."

She bit her lip and paced around in her corner, waiting for Berty to show up. Of all the days and all the times. Why now? Roro sat nearby, watching her. Then she heard the distant sirens. The police? But, how did they get here before Berty?

The guys by the door whipped their heads around to stare at her. The one who she'd initially spoken to pushed the door open and entered.

"You called the police?" he said, snarling at her.

"Daishi, get your ass out of there!" one of the guys shouted, sticking his head in through the door. "Or we're ditching you before the police come."

"Help me catch this brat and we can leave," Daishi said back. He cracked his knuckles and glared at her. "I need to teach her who she's messing with."

Emi shook her head. He stalked down an aisle and she moved to remain a safe distance away from him. "Just as I thought, you're not as tough as you pretend you are," he said, as they circled around a shelf. She had to keep something between the two of them at all times.

"What do you expect when you chase a girl down the streets?" Emi said.

"Let's not do anything rash now," the cashier said, stepping in front of the man. Daishi sneered and swung his fist, dropping the cashier.

"Hey!" Emi said. Roro barked.

"Daishi, you idiot!" The other guy entered. Emi's eyes darted between the two men. The cashier was on his knees, clutching his stomach.

Damn that guy must have a really strong punch!

"Perfect Jukodo," Daishi said and sprinted down the aisle towards Emi. Her eyes widened and she dashed the other way. "Just help me grab her and we'll get out of here."

Jukodo sighed. "You dumbass."

Emi found herself in the corner of the store. Shit! If they come- Sure enough, the two were jogging towards her, cutting off her escape paths. Emi headed in Jukodo's direction. He seemed less likely to harm her.

When they were getting closer, she dove at him in an attempt to tackle him.

Instead of toppling to the floor, he grabbed her arm instead. "You know you're too light for that right?" he said, pulling her off of him.

Oh no! Plan failed! Shit! Emi wrenched her arm away, but his grip tightened.

Roro barked, jumped up, and clamped his teeth onto Jukodo's arm. "Ow!" Jukodo immediately let go of Emi's arm, and she pushed him aside. Roro dropped to the ground.

"Stupid dog." Jukodo gritted his teeth and swung a leg at Roro.

"No!" Emi lunged forward to block his kick but was too slow. Jukodo knocked Roro to the ground. He whined. "Roro!" Emi knelt to the ground, for once wishing that he was smaller, that she could scoop him up and run away with him.

Please, God, not Roro, not him. You can hurt me all you want, but not him. She stroked his head and he looked at her with a quiet whimper.

"Great Jukodo! Thanks!" Daishi said, catching up and seizing Emi's arm.

"Don't touch me!" She kicked him in the chest, but he caught her foot. He smirked. She attempted to pull her leg out of his grip but only succeeded in hopping around on her left foot.

He twisted her foot and they all heard a nasty snap.

Pain shot up Emi's leg, and she screamed. When he let go, she crumpled to the ground. Ow ow ow ow. Shit! Ow! That really really really hurts! She clutched her right foot. Roro barked. And it healed from the sprain just a few weeks ago. Ugh ow ow ow.

"I give up," Jukodo said. He threw his hands in the air. "Have fun in jail, Daishi. I'll visit. Maybe."

Roro growled and Emi looked up. Roro was biting Daishi's leg, who was floundering his arms about trying to kick Roro off. "You stupid dog!" He pulled a cutting knife out of his pocket and slid the blade out.

Emi's eyes widened. No.

"Roro!" She launched herself at them and watched the blade come down upon Roro's head.

The knife sliced across Roro's right eye before striking Emi's hand. "Ahh!" She shrieked as the metal dug through her hand. Her vision flashed red, and her thoughts flooded with the pain. Her hand was warm and red droplets splattered onto the ground.

She felt him grab her and yank her to her feet. By the time her head cleared, he had an arm around her chest and the blade pressed against her neck. What?

The police officers piled in but froze when they saw the situation. Emi's head spun, and she was ready to puke all over the floor.

"Let me go, and she'll be safe," he said. She felt the cold blade dig into her skin. Roro barked.

"It's okay," Emi said in a whisper, staring at Roro and the blood that matted his fur. "Stay down, Roro." Please don't get hurt. She gritted her teeth, grimacing from the pain. He growled and barked at Daishi but remained where he sat on the ground.

What do I do?

The police filed back out of the store per Daishi's demands, and the two of them scooted closer to the door.

Ahh… It hurts. Everything hurts. I just wanted a hug. I just wanted Ryuu. Emi's eyes burned. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She elbowed Daishi, but he didn't flinch. The pressure on her neck increased instead until it stung. "You think you can escape?" he said into her ear. She shuddered. Something warm trickled down her neck.

He cut me? Emi squeezed her eyes shut. What am I going to do? Ugh ow. What can I do? Ow ow. The crowd outside of the store parted to create a path through. It's okay. They'll do something while we're getting out. They have to.

Berty appeared at the end of the path. She could see three other bodyguards with him. "Berty," Emi said but the words came out in a croak. She struggled against Daishi's hold, tugging at his arm and flailing her left leg in the air.

"Stop moving!" he said. "Or I'll slit your throat."

They were at the entrance now and Daishi waved at Berty to move out of the way. That's right, Emi thought, listening to Roro's barks. She brought her teeth down onto Daishi's arm.

He yelped and dropped her. She fell to her knees, scrambling to crawl away. Berty moved towards them. Daishi lunged for her. With two steps, Bertrand reached Daishi and smacked the guy to the ground with one punch.

"Emi-sama," he said, kneeling beside her while the police rushed in to arrest Daishi. "Are you alright?" He held a hand out.

"Roro," she said, taking it. "Ryuu. Are they okay?"

"Ryuu-sama?" Bertrand glanced around. "Is he here?"

"No." Emi's hand tightened around his. "But what if he's not picking up his phone because something happened?"

He saw the gash on her hand and inhaled sharply. He slid an arm under her legs and picked her up.

"Ah!" she said. "Berty!" The paramedics came in with a stretcher and he set her down on it.

"I'm sure Ryuu-sama is fine," he said.

"Roro!" Emi grabbed his collared shirt. "You need to take care of Roro. He got cut and his eye is bleeding and-"

"Emi-sama, I'm sure he'll be fine," Berty said.

"But you know his health condition!" Her vision blurred. "You can't let Roro die, Berty!"

"I won't," he said and bent down to scoop Roro up too. He followed after the paramedics as they carried her out of the store and to the ambulance.

"He needs to get to the vet," Emi said.

"We'll take him there. Don't worry." He pushed her gently down on the stretcher.

"And you need to find Ryuu," she said. She checked her phone. Sure enough, he hadn't called back. The paramedics inspected her hand, neck, and broken ankle.

"Miss," one said, "are there any other injuries we should know about?"

She shook her head and stared at Berty, who handed Roro to another bodyguard. "Emi-sama, they'll take Roro to the vet," he said, "and I'll come with you to the hospital."

Emi sat up, shaking her head. "No! You need to go find Ryuu. What if he's hurt somewhere? What if-"

"Sir, we need to take her to the hospital now," one of the paramedics said to Bertrand.

Berty sighed. "I will go look for Ryuu-sama then."

Emi nodded. "Try Michi-san's apartment first. And Roro-"

"Will be sent straight to the vet," he said. "Now relax and listen to the doctors, okay? I'll be back soon."

"Call me when you find Ryuu," she said.

"Of course," he said. He waved at her as the ambulance doors closed and the car started.

Emi shivered and leaned back. She tried to relax but her shoulders remained hunched, like they wanted to make her as small as possible. Please, please let Roro and Ryuu be okay. Please.

At the hospital, they ran her foot through the x-ray and gave her painkillers. Two bodyguards stayed by her side as they set her foot.

"Do you want us to call anyone for you?" a nurse asked. "Like your parents?"

"Ah my guardian will be back soon," Emi said.

"Oh." The nurse paused. "I'm sorry."

"No, my parents are just out of town," Emi said. "If you're worried about the medical bills, they'll be paid."

"You won't have to worry about the medical bills, Mazawa-kun," another voice said. A man in a black suit stepped into the room with the thump of his shoes. His black hair was slicked back, and he had wide glasses over his gray eyes, thin eyebrows, and smile lines.

Emi stiffened. "Who are you?"

"If you're not family, I'm sorry but you can't be in here right now," the nurse said.

"I don't believe those two are family either," the man said, gesturing at the bodyguards. He had two other men with stony expressions beside him as well. "I'm just here to apologize on behalf of my rash employee."

"Employee?" Emi's eyes narrowed.

"The name's Akira Goto." He bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Emi Mazawa-kun."

"What do you want?" she said, as her lips pressed together into a tight line. Her left hand clenched into a fist. She could feel the sweat gathering on her palms.

"I'd like to cover all your medical bills, as well as any veterinarian bills for your pet. Take it as an apology for what my employee did."

"Your employee is the one who assaulted me? Daishi-san?"

He nodded. "Yes. He's a very skilled one. It's quite a shame, really."

Skilled? A chill ran down her spine. What kind of company does this guy run if that Daishi is considered skilled? Emi frowned. "No thanks. My family doesn't need your money. Or want it."

Akira smiled. "The next Mazawa head is a tough one, hm?"

"If that's all you came for, please see yourself out," she said.

"Of course," he said, bowed once more, then turned and left the room. When the door shut behind them, Emi pulled her left knee to her chest and buried her head in her arms. Ugh. I don't know who he is but he knows who I am. I shouldn't have spoken to them. I shouldn't have said anything. Then this wouldn't have happened, all this trouble, all this pain.

"I'm sorry, Miss," the nurse said and Emi lifted her head up, "but the police would like to ask you some questions. Is that okay? They could come back later if you'd like."

Emi took a deep breath and nodded. "That's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"We'll be stitching your hand up while you talk, okay?"

"Okay." She bit her lip as the police came in. I can do this. Be strong, Emi. Since Akimi-nee-chan's not here, since Berty and Ryuu and Roro aren't here, I have to be strong.

Ryuu clapped, grinning. "Go ahead, Michi!"

She chuckled. They sat at the kotatsu with a cake in between them. Her cheeks puffed up as they filled with air and she blew the candles out. Michi stood to turn the lights back on while Ryuu removed the candles from the cake.

"Ryuu, you really went too far with this," she said as she sat back down.

"No I didn't," he said. "Now cut the cake!"

"But you gave me a gift already," she said, gesturing at the bag by the couch. As Emi had suggested, he'd purchased a cute stuffed spider.

Ryuu shrugged. "So? Birthdays are all about cake and gifts."

"But-" She bit her lip and frowned. "It couldn't have been cheap. This cake is from a big brand company too."

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about it Michi. If there's one thing I have, it's money. Now hurry and cut the cake already!"

"Oh oh." She got on her knees and slid the knife into the cake. "I don't really… uh, know how to do this." Ryuu chuckled as a jagged line split the cake in half. "Is this how…?" She furrowed her brows while cutting a slice out. She took up a fork to transfer the slice over to a plate. She pushed it towards him.

"Wait what? Michi, this is a huge slice!" he said.

She laughed. "I can't cut cake Ryuu. Besides, you're skinny. You should eat more."

He pushed the plate back towards her. "You have it. You're the birthday girl."

"Then I will exercise my privilege today and tell you to have the slice," she said, nudging the plate away.

"Alright," he said, "guess I can't argue against that."

"Ah! If-If it's really too big, I can cut another slice," she said watching him pick a fork up.

"It's fine, Michi. Chill." He smiled. "Don't worry so much."

"Okay," she said. She cut a smaller slice for herself and stared at him. "Why aren't you eating?"

"You need to take the first bite," he said.

"Oh!" She stabbed her fork in and took a bite. After chewing, she said, "Mm. This is good."

"Wow this is good," Ryuu said as they ate.

"Of course it is. It's a Hayashi Sweets cake. It's as high-end of a cake as you can get," she said with her mouth half full of the dessert.

He laughed. "I didn't know that."

Michi blinked, concentrating her gaze on the chocolate cake in front of her. "Thanks a lot Ryuu. Really."

"It's nothing, really," he said.

"No," she said, shaking her head. He glanced at her. "It's not. At least to me, it's not. It means a lot to me. What you did today. So, thank you." She lifted her head up and smiled at him. Then she swiped her hand over the edge of her eyes. "Ah."

"Michi?" Ryuu dropped his fork.

"It's okay," she said, giggling. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled at him. "I'm fine. It's just - I just…" She stared at the cake, at the candles beside it. "I'm just, um, really moved, so-"

Bzzt! Their heads turned to the intercom by the door. "Are you expecting anyone, Michi?" Ryuu said as the two stood and approached the device.

"No," she said. She checked the time. It was getting late. She hit the button and saw a tall, foreign man standing at the entrance of the apartment complex. "Hello?"

"Hello, is a Michi-san there?" the man said.

Michi and Ryuu exchanged glances. "Wait a minute," Ryuu said, squinting at the grainy, black and white image.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Michi said.

"If you are Michi-san, I was wondering if you knew where Ryuu-sama is at," the man said.

"It's Berty!" Ryuu said.

"What?" Michi said.

"Ryuu-sama?" Berty said. "Are you there?"

Michi moved aside for Ryuu to speak into the microphone. "Berty, what are you doing here?"

"Why were you not picking your phone up, Ryuu-sama?" Berty said.

"What?" Ryuu fished his phone out of his pocket. There were two missed calls from Emi and three from Bertrand. "Oh. It was on silent. Sorry. Did-Is there something-Like, what?"

Bertrand glanced around from where he stood. "Something happened, Ryuu-sama, to Emi-sama. It's important."

"What happened?" Ryuu frowned.

"I don't want to say much right now," Berty said, "but it's imperative that you come with me. I will tell you more later."

"Okay…" Ryuu glanced at Michi. "But-"

"You should go Ryuu," she said.

"But, the cake-"

"Oh, take it with you," she said, rushing back to the table.

"No, I meant my slice," he said and waved a hand at her. "Leave that cake alone, Michi." Turning back to the intercom, he said, "Berty, I'll be down soon."

"Understood," Bertrand said, and Ryuu cut the line.

"But we only got to watch a movie and eat dinner together," Ryuu said as he stuffed the remaining slice in his mouth.

"What else did you want to do?" she said.

"Well." He looked at her. Her eyes were still rather shiny. I don't want to leave her alone. It's her birthday for God's sake, and no one else seems to be celebrating it. Why can't other people see that she's a cool person? Are they stupid? He frowned.

"Ryuu?" Michi said, tilting her head.

"Oh." He shook his head. "Nevermind." He walked to the kitchen and set the plate in the sink.

"Just leave it. I'll take care of it," she said.

"Are you sure?" he said, though he'd never washed dishes before.

"Yeah," she said. "You should go."

"Okay." He walked back to the table and picked the candles up.

"What are you doing?" she said with a smile. "Just leave them, Ryuu. I'll clean everything up."

"But-"

"Leave it be," she said, pulling the candles from his hand and dropping them onto the table. She pushed him towards the door. "Go. Your sister needs you."

"But-" He looked at her. Don't you need me too?

She handed his jacket to him and he put it on. She waved. "Go go, Ryuu. Don't leave your sister waiting."

He nodded, reaching for the door. Oh wait! He whirled back around. "I almost forgot. Are you going to be able to eat all that cake by yourself?"

She smiled. "No. Do you want to come back and have some more another day?"

"I wouldn't mind that," he said, "but you should give some out. Like to your coworkers or other people. Your neighbors or something. Make friends with them. Food is a great way to meet new people and make friends."

She chuckled. "Okay, Ryuu."

"No seriously, try it," he said.

"I will," she said.

"It better be mostly gone when I come next time," he said, opening the door.

"Alright, alright," she said, nodding.

"Promise?" he said.

She smiled. "Promise."

"Okay, see you." He waved, and she grinned and waved back.

Downstairs, Ryuu found Berty pacing by the door. "So, what happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way there," Bertrand said and they hurried to the awaiting car. Ryuu's lips pursed when he heard of the events. Berty didn't know much, other than that Emi had been chased by a few men and attacked.

When they arrived at the hospital, Emi had already been moved to a room. Her foot was in a boot, and her hand was stitched up. She was lying in bed, staring at her phone with no new messages and nobody calling.

"Emi!" Ryuu said, bursting into the room.

"Ryuu!" She sat up, and immediately her eyes watered. He rushed to her side. "Ryuu." She spread her arms out and he pulled her tight against him. She broke down and cried into his shirt.

"It's okay," he said, rubbing her back. "You're okay."

"Un," she said, nodding and sucking in a deep breath. "I know, but-" More tears streamed down her face and she trembled. "Ryuu, I was so-"

"It's okay," he said, smoothing her hair down. She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. He could hear her shaky breathing and feel her tremoring with each sob. Sometimes he forgot how much smaller she was.

"Emi." He pulled her closer, closer, until they were pressed up against each other. Seeing her like this made his chest ache and fury boil in his stomach.

"It'll be okay," he whispered into her ear. "We'll be okay."

I'll make whoever did this pay.

Hopefully that wasn't too gory or graphic. I cringed the entire time while editing this chapter haha. Thoughts? :)

Thanks for reading!